Pixelsynth is a browser instrument that turns images into music

A new browser instrument called Pixelsynth allows you to create music using a library of pre-selected images or uploads of your own – with interesting results.

Created by US coder Olivia Jack, Pixelsynth’s scrolling cursor rolls its way across a monochrome image and plays notes when it comes into contact with a light-coloured pixel.

The note played by the synth appears to change depending on the relative height, though you can also modify the type of scale, starting note, starting octave and the number of notes it plays.

The musical effect is more akin to the wild sequences you’d get from a modular synth than a classic keyboard, but it’s the kind of thing you could imagine sampling if you wanted to create some wild noise.

Pixelsynth comes with 13 images – our favourite is the classic moiré pattern – but you can upload your own, in case you ever wanted to see what sort of sounds your own face generates.

Beyond changing the image, the interface also lets you rotate the image in real time, repeat the image in a tiled fashion and add spacing. Try it out here, and when you’ve finished check out a GarageBand-style sequencer for your browser. [via RA].